LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly 80 students echoed their concerns throughout the Frazier History Museum on Wednesday.
Students got on their "soapboxes" and delivered 2-3 minute speeches on "What's the biggest issue facing your community and what should be done about it?"
Officials say it's part of a Mikva Challenge, a student speech showcase. However, for many children the event was much bigger than a competition. It was the opportunity to finally be heard and share the issues that are important to them.
"I may be a kid, but I think I can do something today," one student said.
Each student shed a light on issues they feel are impacting their community -- like mental health, sexual assault, hunger and gender inequality.
"Inequality is a problem," another student said. "We can fix if we just work together."
But for Kylee Bosch, it hit closer to home. She shared how her father's alcoholism affected her childhood.
"Last year alone he missed Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year," she said.
Bosch says if it wasn't for the Soapbox Challenge, she wouldn't have been able to share her story.
"I was able to talk about something that I wanted to talk about, rather than being in class being slipped a paper about what to write an essay about," she said.
Educator Ryan New says the goal is to give students like Bosch a safe place to express themselves.
"It's imperative for our future, it's imperative for our democracy, it's imperative for kids and our wellbeing to voice how they see and view the world," he said.
Students also got the the chance to lend solutions, including better resources, reaching out to lawmakers and simply caring more.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.